Commander’s Cross
Order for Merits to Lithuania

Standing on the Shoulders of Many
By Fred H. Hutchison

None of us accomplish anything alone. Josh Kerr, who broke the world record for the mile on July 18, 2026, may have run the race to the tape by himself, but his success came through the toil, support, and sacrifice of many others, including family, trainers, and coaches.

So it is with me. On Mon., Sept. 21, 2026, I was deeply honored to receive the Commander’s Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania from President Gitanas Nausėda. The award was presented during the Presidential Business Forum on Resilience in NYC. The citation recognizes my contribution to “strengthening Lithuania’s energy security, economic resilience, and transatlantic relations.”

I did not earn this award alone. I had the unwavering support of the LNG Allies team and membership, diplomats and energy officials from Lithuania and many other nations, and my dear wife, Helen Y. Hutchison, who joined me on stage. It was Helen who told me in 2013 that I should return to my roots and spend more time with my fellow MIT alumni. That led us to a September 2013 MIT Club of Washington event at the Embassy of Lithuania, held during Lithuania’s six-month presidency of the Council of the EU. There we heard Simonas Šatūnas (then the embassy’s deputy chief of mission) explain how USLNG could help Lithuania break free from the Kremlin’s monopolistic energy shackles. LNG Allies sprang from that night.

Sept. 21, 2026, carried extra meaning for another reason: at the forum, Ignitis Group and EQT Corp signed the first long-term USLNG supply agreement between our two countries, a ten-year deal linking Lithuania directly to U.S. gas production. LNG Allies introduced the two parties at the “EU-U.S. LNG Cooperation 2.0” summit conference on Feb. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh, a major event that we organized together with H.E. Jovita Neliupšienė, the EU’s Ambassador to the United States.

Five decades into a career in public policy, I can say with assurance that all of us stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and are held up by those who stand beside us, especially friends, colleagues, mentors, and coaches.

To shave half a second off a world record that had stood since 1999, Josh Kerr spent years training at altitude, months sleeping in an oxygen-starved bedroom, and listening to good people who shared his dream.

This award was built the same way, slowly and quietly, by people who showed up year after year to help me, long before anyone was watching the clock.